Name

ODBC Data Source Administrator — \windows\system32\odbcad32.exe

Synopsis

Add, remove, or configure sources of database management system data.

To Open

Start Programs Administrative Tools Data Sources (ODBC)

Command Prompt odbcad32

Description

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a system that connects ODBC-enabled applications to the database management systems that provide the data. The ODBC Data Source Administrator is used to configure your applications so that they can get data from a variety of database management systems. For example, if you’re using an application that accesses data in an SQL database, the ODBC Data Sources Administrator lets you connect that application to a different data source, such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a Paradox database.

In the ODBC Data Source Administrator, the different sources of data are called "data providers.” To add a new provider, click Add under the User DSN, the System DSN, or the File DSN tab. A list of the available drivers is listed under the Drivers tab; new drivers can be installed separately. The Tracing allows you to log the communication between applications and the ODBC data sources they use. The Connection Pooling tab is used to improve performance with ODBC servers. Finally, the About tab is used to check the versions of the installed ODBC components.

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